Student Writer: Hayley McCraw

My name is Hayley McCraw and I am a rising junior in Dance Studies with a K-12 licensure major and a Teaching Fellow. I attend Meredith College which is a women’s college located in Raleigh, North Carolina. I come from a family who doesn’t do a whole lot of traveling, so this is my first time leaving the country, ever. When preparing for this trip, I was shocked to find out that neither of my parents had ever had a passport before. I am very excited to be the first person in my family to travel to Europe. I hope that I can make traveling a habit.

My Teaching Fellows scholarship requires me to study abroad which certainly is not a bad thing. I was very excited about this, but I had no clue where I wanted to go. I researched several different programs that my school told me about and initially started narrowing my choices down by what classes were offered. I knew I would be happy going anywhere because I had never left the country before. The more I looked into the DIS program and researched Copenhagen and Denmark in general, the more I knew this was where I wanted to go. It looked like a beautiful place with a lot to offer, and culture seemed different, but not too different for the first time every leaving the U.S.

I have absolutely loved Copenhagen so far. The architecture is beautiful, either very old and extravagant or sleek and modern. The people here are very friendly and helpful. They are less likely to approach you, but if you approach someone they will be more than happy to help you out and sometimes strike up a random conversation. Everywhere you turn there is something interesting whether it be food, street musicians, stores, museums, castles, or just plain beautiful scenery. There is a big nightlife scene here, and depending on where you go, you could meet people from all over the world. The transportation is easy once you get the hang of it. I believe there is something for everyone in Copenhagen; I absolutely love it here!